C. Skin Preparation and Specimen Collection/Inoculation

Place the sponge on selected venipuncture site and depress once or twice to saturate sponge.

Use a back-and-forth friction scrub for at least 30 seconds.

Allow prepared area to dry for approximately 30 seconds. Do not wipe off – if you do, you have contaminated the site.

Proceed with collection of blood.

Maintain a “hands-off” technique. If you need to touch sterilized site, you must prep your gloved finger in the same manner with fresh prep pads and only palpate above and below needle insertion site.

Collect a peripheral sample using the 1.5mL Isolator tube. After removal of the needle from the tube, immediately mix the blood with the contents of the tube by gently inverting four or five times.

Note: A peripheral specimen must be obtained at the same time (within 30 minutes) the line/port samples are collected.

Collect a sample from each line or port using a 1.5mL Isolator tube for each sample. After removal of the needle from the tube, immediately mix the blood with the contents of the tube by gently inverting four or five times.

Properly dispose of the used needle and adapter/syringe in needle disposal unit and all contaminated materials.

Use a 70% alcohol prep pad to remove any blood from the yellow-stopper top of each tube.

Help achieve hemostasis in the patient at the venipuncture site in the usual manner.

Properly label each 1.5mL Isolator tube with the patient’s name DOB/SS#, your initials, time and date and the site of collection.

The tubes should be transported at room temperature to the laboratory immediately as they must be processed within four (4) hours of collection.